


Go For Gold

by Nekolatte



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, IDK Where It's Going But We're Going, M/M, POV Third Person Limited, Roadtrip Filler
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2019-06-23 22:08:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15616068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nekolatte/pseuds/Nekolatte
Summary: Trevor and Alucard play a game. The longer it goes on, the more neither is sure who's losing.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first dip into a fandom I know absolutely nothing about save for a four-episode Netflix release, so I apologize now if I get things wrong. Non-beta'd.
> 
> EDIT: Forgot to check the multiple chapter thing. My bad.

"You need to stop taking blood from Sypha."  
  
Alucard took his time to lift his head and make eye contact with Trevor, gaze piercing in a way that still set the last Belmont heir on edge. But he no longer stiffened and prepared for a fight, able to keep a neutral expression through their clipped interactions, despite the childish quips that always came to mind.  
  
"Is she ill?" There was genuine concern in Alucard's tone, and Trevor wanted to punch him in the face for acting something close to human. It was irritating.  
  
"No, but she can be, easily. You know this."  
  
There had been so much arguing that first night, with Alucard playing both sides, because he was spineless that way. Human enough to care, but vampire enough to need the stable food source. In the end, Sypha and Alucard decided she would cut herself and let the blood spill into a cup for their resident vampire to feed. No danger of poison, of Alucard taking more than he needed, or of her accidentally becoming ensnared in his wiles. Which Trevor argued that, yes, it definitely was a thing. And Alucard, the bastard, refused to comment.  
  
Only, Sypha was getting used to the pain, and cut just a bit deeper than before to fill the cup quicker each time. No one else seemed to notice, but Trevor did. Each cut risked infection, considering their lifestyle, and each careless swipe could spill more than intended. Sypha needed to remember what the pain felt like, and for that she needed to stop doing it. But Alucard still needed to feed.  
  
"Then what, Belmont, do you propose we do?"  
  
If it was up to Trevor, and Trevor alone, Alucard could fuck right off and die in a hole somewhere. But he had considered the problem, and hadn't just barged into Alucard's quiet hour of contemplation for his lively company.  
  
"There was word of mouth, once, of a vampire coven that fed primarily off the blood of animals." He paused and waited for a reaction, but Alucard merely blinked at him in that eerie way of his. Then again, everything Alucard did was eerie. Except this was worse, as Trevor was forced to stand there and wait for any sign of understanding in the vampire's stupidly placid face. Seconds trickled, and Trevor grew annoyed. He pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes screwed shut. "Do you knowー"  
  
"I am well aware of the implications you are making, Belmont." Now Alucard looked bored, golden eyes rolling ever so slightly, because such an act was uncouth for a gentleman of his stature to ever do. Or whatever went on in that head of his. Probably nothing but posh and pomp. "But what I was waiting for was a concrete plan. Even you must be aware of the fate of those vampires."  
  
Trevor shrugged, not really caring. "I'm not saying take up the lifestyle, but Sypha needs a break."  
  
"Did she say this herself," and Alucard folded one long leg over the other, abandoning his book in favor of the conversation. Which seemed to amuse him, if the tilt to his tone was anything to go by, "or have you taken it upon yourself to control her decisions for her? You should be well aware, far better than I, what her opinions on that would be."  
  
Oh, Trevor was well aware that this could all blow up in his face. Maybe even literally. But Sypha was bull-headed and stubborn. Only someone with reckless ambition would go searching through prophesied-guarded tunnels alone. She could have taken at least one person to help keep watch for any dangers, even if they didn't have the powers she hadー but what had she done instead? If Trevor was going to be forced as the voice of reason in this ridiculous group, then he was going to take it seriously.  
  
"I know what she'll think, but her irritation with me is the least of my concerns. The Speakers spoke of three, not two and one scholar too weak to stand. You've seen the careless way she's been getting."  
  
Alucard pursed his lips, and Trevor knew he was making leeway.  
  
"Though I still have my doubts, she believes you would never bleed her dry. So if she hears this from you, she will be more likely to listen and reason it's the wisest choice for the time being. When the scars fade, and she wants to support you again, I won't comment on it."  
  
For a breathless, stretching moment, Alucard seemed more statue than man, staring at Trevor as one would an anomaly they didn't particularity understand. His head tilted one way, and his hair fell in slow, rolling waves off his shoulder. It caught the sunlight and glistened, and for a momentary lapse, Trevor imagined slipping his fingers through the strands. He glared at the vampire in disdain when Alucard smirked, as if having seen the thought personally. For all Trevor knew, he hadー who the hell knew what kind of powers the son of Dracula could have; he certainly wasn't forthcoming about them.  
  
"You've actually put thought into this..."  
  
"Don't sound so fucking surprised."  
  
Alucard laughed, amused, and waved the comment away. He turned to the window, giving Trevor a view of his exposed neck.

A single daggerー it wouldn't be enough to kill, not right away, but certainly weaken him quickly enough to pull another dagger and stab it through the vampire's heart. Trevor turned off that part of his brain for now.  
  
"I cannot live on animal blood alone, or else we will be back at the prophesied two and the one too weak to stand. I have a...proposition."  
  
Trevor cringed at what was to come, because it was obvious, but he could remain ignorant for just a moment longer. "And what would that be?"  
  
Alucard's eyes wandered across their shared room at the roadside inn they stopped at for the afternoon. They would be heading out soonー to fight and help who they couldー but for now they rested and recuperated. They planned their next move in finding Dracula's castle. In Sypha's case: she was downstairs with other occupants of the inn, helping spread the knowledge of how to protect oneself from Dracula's horde, adding encouragement and hope with every other word. Trevor was meant to be there alongside her, supporting her silently. Because while the Belmonts were still, technically, excommunicated, there wasn't a doubt in anyone's mind that he knew how to fight and drive away these monsters. The people may not like him, and he made no effort to change that, but they believed in his abilities.  
  
And it irritated Trevor that Alucard did nothing but read while he was forced to mingle. But he knew, intellectually, Alucard was searching for the castle in text and tomes. A hint. A guiding point they could follow, instead of wandering all across Wallachia with no real heading. That didn't mean Trevor still didn't think it was lazy of him to stay in the room, leisurely and lounging.  
  
"Have you played chess before, Belmont?"  
  
Trevor was so taken aback by the question he took an actual step back, blinking in confusion at the vampire as if he materialized from nothing, though Trevor was well aware he had been staring at angular features, cascading hair, and soft, sweeping lashes the entire time. As if having been caught doing something he shouldn't, a blush threatened to form across his cheeks. It was only through sheer force of willpower and lack of shame did Trevor hold back. "Uh..." he responded eloquently, and Alucard chuckledー a predatory glint in his eyes.  
  
"Come on, Belmont. Let's play; I'll even teach you." His voice was like smoky, warm tendrils, and Trevor regained enough of his scattered brain to frown. "Every time you win, I will drink your animal's blood without complaint. Everytime I win, I drink from you. Directly. I will be kind enough to allow you to choose where I bite."  
  
Trevor wanted to explain to Alucard how incredibly stupid, and rude, the vampire wasー but managed to refrain. Only just. He set both palms on his hips, a cocksure grin on his stubbled face. "Sure, how hard can it be?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter. More setup. More abuse of the ー dash.

"Can you boys focus on the task at hand?" Sypha punctuated her sentence with a well-aimed fireball that had creatures skirting away from the explosion and flying debris. The running demons were impaled with a variety of sharp objects held by trembling hands, and Alucard was rushing in to properly end their thrashing with a single swipe of his long blade.

"Bishop to G7!" Alucard all but snarled as he impaled his sword with too much unnecessary roughness into the snapping maw of a hellspawn.

Meanwhile, Trevor was laughing harder than he should've been, considering he was reorganizing the able-bodied townspeople into a position that both kept them safe and made them useful in the fight. He knew Alucard was glaring at him, could feel it like a thick blanket on his back, and he reveled in it. Stupid vampire. "You're still in check! Just forfeit with some dignity!"

They had moved their game onto verbal territory when they were forced to pack up and go, and it certainly made it easier. The board at the inn was incomplete, and Trevor kept forgetting what the acorn was supposed to be. And he knew he shouldn't be testing Alucard's temper, but who knew the vampire was such a sore loser? As if it was his fault Alucard conveniently forgot Trevor was a well-trained strategist.

At the end of the night, with only one casualty from a man that had been too terrified to stay in formation, everyone was plainly wearing their exhaustion rather than their relief at having survived. Alucard seemed to be brooding in particular. He excused himself before the sun could rise fully over the horizon, and Sypha glared at Trevor as if he was responsibleー which wasn't far off. He sighed and trotted up next to her as she helped the townspeople make sense of the war zone.

"Did he have a chance to tell you?"

"You two have been babbling non-stop at each other since we left the inn. Or did you not notice?" She turned a suspicious stare on him, though was fighting a smile all the same, clearly amused. "Adrien had no time to talk to me about anything."

Trevor blinked. "His name is 'Adrien' now?" Sypha only scoffed and smacked his arm, moving away to break apart rubble with her magic to make it easier to move. "Okayー he was meant to tell you, but he might be too prissy to hold his end of the bargain."

Wide, round eyes caught on his, Sypha whirling around to face him properly and posing like a snake ready to strike. "What did you do?"

Trevor had his hands up, backing away. "Nothing! He was the oneー Sypha, listen."

"What did you do, Belmont!" She took a step forward, and it shouldn't be so threatening coming from someone so small.

"We had a talk!" He realized how odd that sounded, and shoved a hand through his hair, grimacing at the oil, sweat and grime in it. He needed a bath, but that later. First, Trevor took his time to explain the situation, shoving all the responsibility onto Alucard, since the man wasn't here to defend himself. Trevor had been rightー Sypha was more receptive to the arrangement when she thought it was Alucard's idea, though she still worried at her lip as her fingertips unconsciously traced hidden scars along her arm. Trevor felt a swell of protectiveness in his chest, but he refrained from acting on it. "And after a few months, if you wish to offer your blood to him again, you can. Is what he said."

Sypha was still chewing on her lip, refusing to look at Trevor. But he waited, patient, until she finally glanced up at him, defiant and strong. "It's not because my blood is... wrong, then?"

He really wanted to punch Alucard. It wouldn't solve anything, considering it wasn't his fault, but still. "If it was, would he have been drinking it up until now? My blood is the one that’s wrong.”

Finding her answer after a moment's thought, Sypha sighed and dusted at her robes again. "Fine, no blood. But that means you need to go find him something to feed on."

A laugh bubbled out of his throat before he could stop it, and he stared at Sypha while he waited for the joke to end. 

It didn't.

"Animal blood only keeps his hunger in check, right? It's not exactly nutritious. And he's weak from fighting." Trevor was about to argue that they had all been fighting, but Sypha stopped him with a stare and a finger pointing at his nose, making him cross-eyed. "He’s fought harder than the two of us combined, and since you can't give him any of yours, you're in charge of finding his meals.”

Trevor felt like he lost in some way when Sypha chased him out of town and towards the marshlands with the threat to not return without the animal blood. He only stopped grumbling to himself when he realized it alerted the wildlife to his presence. So he calmed himself, did what he did best, and to keep from making a bloodied trail back to the town, he bled the hares beneath the lackluster shade of a gangly tree. There was difficulty aiming it into the canteen he brought, but after the second hare, he found a knack for it. Taking both the meat and blood with him, he went searching for Alucard, finding the brooding vampire in the shade of a home with three erect wallsー its occupants long gone.

Alucard was tucked into a corner, looking less put together than usual, which was still miles better than the average person. It left Trevor with no sympathy as he trotted over and dumped the canteen into Alucard’s lap. The vampire caught it before it could make contact, pulling a face when his hands came out sticky with blood.

Trevor watched as he brought one of his hands up, a tentative sniff made to a finger smeared in the hare’s blood, keeping absolutely still as Alucard took his first taste. The reaction was immediate, with Alucard unattractively dry heaving, causing Trevor to let out an unfriendly guffaw.

“This is revolting.”

Trevor only just managed to wrangle his amusement to respond, a grin stretched ear to ear. “The taste of defeat is quite bitter, I hear. Come now, Adrien, eat your vegetables; they will help you grow big and strong.”

Alucard muttered something too low to hear, Trevor taking that as his cue to give him space and wander to the open corner of the home to rummage through the debris for wood he could use to start a fire.

“Belmont.”

In the process of snapping what once had been a supporting beam of the home, Trevor glanced towards the sound of Alucard’s voice, watching as he pointedly set the canteen aside. 

“Thank you for this small mercy.”

It took Trevor a moment to realize what he was being thanked for, and was quick to brush it aside. It hadn't even occurred to him to not bring back the blood in a container of some kind, though it seemed Alucard expected to be further humiliated in his defeat and forced to eat directly from the dirtied pelt of some animal. It left an odd feeling in his chest, being thanked by a vampire for his show of compassion, of all things, causing Trevor to roughly snap the wood in his hands while imaging it was Alucard’s neck. “As if I’m going to let you put your mouth on my breakfast.”

Sypha rejoined them once the fire stopped smoking heavily, ragged and exhausted, but polite enough to spare Alucard a smile and thank Trevor for a share of the unseasoned meat he cooked. This particular town, while begrudgingly thankful for their help, was not amicable towards the trio, and they weren’t particularly pressed to request a comfortable place to sleep either. Though Trevor still took time to complain about sleeping on the floor, even as Alucard and Sypha tuned him out with increasingly successful practice. Sypha was the first to fall asleep, curled up close by the smoldering coals of the fire, and Alucard following close behindー Trevor staying awake for a few more moments out of pure paranoia and, however small, protectiveness. 

* * *


	3. Strategy

“Queen to E4.”

“You really suck at this.”

“ _Trevor_.”

“What? He **really** suー” A hard smack to the shoulder stopped Trevor's reiteration, though by the surly look Alucard sported, it did what it was meant to do.

They were leaving another town with the knowledge to defend itself, this one a tad more grateful ー enough that they had horses and a carriage to spare for the wandering group. Never mind what became of their owners, the beasts had a new home and seemed content with getting away from a town that smelled of rotting flesh and sulfur.

Trevor didn't blame the beasts, and urged them a bit faster. Sun was starting to set, and they had yet to find suitable shelter.

“You play nonsensically, Belmont.”

Movement in the carriage stole Trevor's attention, and with the road quiet and empty save for chittering animals in the brush at either side of them, Trevor turned to find Alucard sitting much closer to them. The vampire always shied from the early and noon sun, but seemed at ease in the later evening. Trevor wondered if it had to do with his split heritage, but asking was too close to _bonding_ , and Trevor was still making an effort at keeping the vampire at a distance.

“It's called _strategy_.”

“Your strategy is to completely confuse your opponent into submission?” Sypha was all smiles when Trevor turned to look, but he didn't trust it for a second.

“It's _working_ , isn't it?”

No one deemed his statement worthy for comment, and the group fell into silence once more, broken only when Sypha pointed out a dilapidated shack some ways off the road. Better than sleeping in the carriage, Trevor guided the horses to the small home, and while he unhitched them, Alucard and Sypha took to exploring. He was in the middle of combing down the pinto, thankfully finding supplies in the carriage, when Sypha emerged from within the home, spotted him in the small corral fixed next to it, and joined him beneath the alcove.

“Verdict?” He asked without looking up from his task.

“Decent enough; we have slept in worse. At least it doesn't reek of death.” Sitting up on the railing, Sypha made no motion to help him brush out the solid, seemingly content with just watching.

Trevor tried not to take offense, and just continued to work. Lost in the repetitive motions, watching sweat-slick hair come into a brilliant shine ー the horse seemingly content to stay and receive the attention. His family's horses were very different beasts, bred for their tenacity and bravery, though having the unfortunate temperament of a self-important bully that would not allow the meek and unsure to even approach them. A young Trevor being one.

“What are you doing?”

It took Trevor a moment to realize a question was being asked, and yet another to realize it was being asked _to_ him, suddenly blinking out of his daze to find dusk had set, with a lantern he didn't know they had flickering against the mild winds at the edge of the corral, and someone had swapped the pinto for the solid. The animal seemingly realizing Trevor had come back from wherever his mind had wandered to, politely trotted off to the other end of their pen to feed on the overgrown grass with its companion. Trevor watched it go before turning back to Sypha, who looked just a bit concerned.

“...I was brushing the horse?” He gestured with the comb still in his hand before dumping the item into the bag with the other supplies for the horses. Out of the corral and towards the entrance to the home, Trevor spotted a bucket of water that _looked_ clean, and used that to wash his hands. Sypha followed after him, the little frown still stuck on her face, and Trevor resisted the urge to snap that he hadn't done anything wrong on pure instinct. “What?”

Her arms folded over her chest, and her gaze was piercingー all bright gem tones that were only _just_ eerie in the dim light. And Trevor realized if she planned on killing him, there was little he could actually do against a _mage_ , and a powerful one at that. But if he was _quick enoughー_

“You and Adrien.”

Oh.

“ _Oh._ ” Trevor, realizing that that didn't explain much at all, looked to her in confusion as he wiped his hands dry on his pants. “What about us?”

“You're up to something! These games, the animal blood. You suddenly being _friendly._ ”

“I’m _not_ friendly!” The retort lost and ignored as Sypha continued.

“You hardly ever spoke three words to Adrien before, and suddenly you're _teasing_ him like a school boy with a crushー”

“I am **not** teasing him; I am making _fun of him_ ー there is a difference!”

“If you plan on hurting him in any way, Belmont, we are going to have some _serious words._ ”

“What are you, his _sister_?”

“He has been alone all this timeー probably never even had a true friend, and here you come, all wild charm and gruffness! A horrible, _terrible_ influenceー”

“Oh, no wait, you're his _mother_.”

“The three of us are needed to defeat Dracula, if I need to remind you.”

Trevor threw up his arms, muttering out to the heavens in hopes they had better hearing than Sypha. “For the love of _God_.”

“And if you get us sidetrackedー”

“I am the one trying to keep us on the track!”

“Then all of Wallachia suffers because you couldn't make use of your _hand_ insteadー”

“I make plenty use of my hand!” The outburst out of his mouth and too late to put back, Trevor stayed silent for a moment, staring at Sypha’s raised eyebrows, before he turned away to glare out at the darkened field behind the home. “I shouldn't have said that.”

“No, you shouldn't have.”

Both Trevor and Sypha nearly jumped out of their skins at the additional voiceー Sypha with a hand clutching the robes over her thundering heart and Trevor with a hand already going on the whip on his belt. When Alucard merely looked on with a bland expression, leaned on the windowsill with both arms folded on top of the rotting wood, they relaxed marginally.

“These walls are paper thin. And we are alone for miles around. _And, you know, vampire hearing_.”

Sypha had the decency to look chastened, a soft blush on her cheeks. She muttered something that sounded like an apology before stalking inside, Trevor lingering without an ounce of shame. Though an awkward tension sprung, one he did not enjoyー _if Sypha interpreted his jokes as teasing, was Alucard doing the same?_

Best put a stop to that now, doing it the only way Trevor knew how.

Sauntering to the sill Alucard was leaning on from within the home, a planter box between them that probably had medicinal herbs once and now was nothing but dry, packed earth, Trevor let his voice drop and a sultry smirk pull at his lips.

“Are you falling for my wild charm, vampire?”

Alucard made a face like someone shat right in front of him, scooped it up in their palms, and tried to present it as a gift right under his nose. He recoiled violently, a hiss flowing between pointed incisors, and stalked away from the window, further into the house where a warm glow came from now.

Snorting, to hide the hurt that his _best_ attempt at flirting was somehow always his _worst_ , Trevor put out the small lantern and went inside to get away from the cold.


	4. Foreboding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really happy some of you are picking up on drama that's to come. 8)

There was nothing around for milesー nothing but countryside and an odd scent in the air. Some time back, Trevor had been relieved of his driving duties and reluctantly got into the carriage to lay down and rest a bit. Sypha took her turn directing the horses as best she could after brief instruction from Trevor. She seemed to take his advice to not let the horses guide a bit literally, and spoke to them sternly from time to time to keep on the path marked. 

“Yes, I know the grass is softer but there could be holes you don't see.”

Trevor snorted quietly.

“...Belmont.”

Startled out of his light doze, though to stubborn to show it, Trevor cracked open a single eye to view the one person he hoped would ignore him for the trip. He pulled a hand out from under his head to gesture at the vampire to hurry along.

Though Alucard did no such thing, instead eyed him curiously, rolling a few words on his tongue without speaking them. Irritation gnawed at Trevor, and he let it out as a huff of airー all he wanted was a play at privacy for a few hours, considering how rare it was to be alone now that he was hitched to two socially-awkward people. Even if Sypha faired better alone than Alucard.

“What?”

“...who taught you to play?”

“Why do you want to know?” Suspicion was an automatic response these days to any personal question, and though part of him felt bad for snapping so quickly, another bubbled with the start of trepidation.  _ This could be a trick. _

“Adrien wants to know why you're so good at it.” 

Sypha called from up front, eyes still on the road even though there was nothing interesting to see. She wore a small smile, seemingly oblivious to the frown Alucard was throwing at her back. His lip was raised just a bit, exposing a sleek fang, and Trevor pushed down his instinct to attack at seeing that.

“So you admit I’m good at something. This is newー I think I like it.”

Alucard sighed, eyes rolling, looking like they were both plagues upon his patience. “I can acknowledge my betters; it had been wrong of me to assume I had some advantage over you without any evidence.”

Slowly, Trevor sat up. He eyed Alucard, wondered if vampires could get sick, and said as much aloud. It only made Alucard look more prissy than usual and he turned away to glare out to the road.

“I take it back; you're a barbarian like I thought.”

“No, no, _no_. You can't just take it back.” Revealing just a bit of himself couldn't hurt, right? It was obvious Alucard went to Sypha first to see if his questions would be received without hostility. Trevor knew why _he_ was trying to keep Alucard at a distance, but he never bothered to wonder if Alucard might do the same. Never thought that the vampire would be weary around him enough to reconsider asking him personal questions, even innocent ones.

Breath rushing out like a sigh, Trevor rearranged himself into his previous position and spoke with a nonchalant air, as if mentioning his family still didn't hurt like a knife into the side. “An uncle of mine, actually. My mother was an exceptional player, and taught me the logistics and advantageous formations, but it was my uncle who taught me to play with half the pieces, scattered all over the board. To work with what I was given, because I won't always be able to prepare beforehand. I won't always have all the pieces I need to win.”

The gentle trot of horses filled the quiet that followed, their pace leisurely and calm. It nearly drew him back into a half-asleep state when Sypha's voice drew him back.

“So that's why you can make soldiers out of terrified peasants.”

“I wouldn't put it _quite like that_ , but anyone can hold a stick if given enough guidance and encouragement.”

Silence returned, though pleasant in a way Trevor never would have imagined. It gnawed at him after a while, and he opened his eyes to take a look aroundー perhaps find the reason for his discomfortー and only just caught Alucard looking away from him.

“My father was the one to teach me,” Alucard said after a breath, eyes narrowing a bit to the open field over Sypha's shoulder. “Though I am starting to believe he did not have the patience for it, considering his teachings did not prepare me for this.”

Everything felt _heavier_ at the mere mention of Dracula, though Sypha was quickest at dispelling the tension.

“I don't think there's anyone that can prepare you for Trevor.”

“ _Hey!_ ”

“You may have a point, Sypha.”

“When we met _you_ , you were expositioning and floating mid-air!”

It was _odd_ ー the teasing continued, though it never bordered into cruel. Trevor was at a loss, replying to things automatically but not in his usual manner. He held back his more biting comments, and took the teasing for what it was: playful banter. He was struck then with the idea that maybe these people were trying to integrate him into the bond they already formed with one another. And that lead in turn to Trevor realizing they _had_ made a bond with one another when Trevor hadn't been looking.

Sypha had been more welcoming of Alucard from the start, but it wasn't until she started offering her blood that they addressed themselves in a familiar manner. If he hadn't known what it truly looked like, he would have assumed Alucard ensnared her to be more willing to offer that which she wouldn't before. But noー the basis for a friendship was always there; the blood sharing built it stronger.

Would it be the same for him and Alucard? Or would it make their animosity worse?

" _Trevor!_ ”

Startled from his line of thought, Trevor turned to find Alucard eyeing him strangely and Sypha trying to keep her eyes both on the road and on him.

“Are we stopping?” 

Trevor turned, noticed the fork coming up ahead. A town ways off the main road, deep in the woods. Perhaps Sypha sensed the same thing Trevor did, as his instincts told him not to turn. To stay on the main road where the sunlight bathed it with warmth and safety. But their whole reason for wandering Wallachia was to help people, so against his better judgement, Trevor nodded.

“If it looks like a lost cause, we turn back.”

Sypha looked ready to argue, and probably would have if the trees hadn't begun to creep closer to the road, blocking any natural light.

 

「×」

 

The town was in shambles with the heavy stench of death still lingering in the air, but there were signs of life among the rubble. Eyes that watched the trio's approach warily, the horses left far enough back that any fighting would only startle them a bit.

There was nothing left here to defend, and before they could cross the boundary into the town proper, Trevor stopped his companions and turned to face them. Mouth a grim line, he simply shook his head, knowing his meaning got acrossー Sypha looked furious and Alucard looked displeased, both emotions focused on Trevor, as if he was being difficult on purpose. 

Before he could try and reason with either of them, Sypha ducked around him and jogged into the clearing of rubble that once might have been the town square. Shadows shifted from within a few of the buildings still standing, but everything remained eerily quiet. Stubborn to a fault, Sypha let her voice be heard, and Trevor winced at how loud she seemed in such a desolate setting.

“We have come to help! We have come to fend back the horde and give you back your homesー your safety. If you will listen to us, if you will heed our advice and warnings, you needn't fear Dracula any longer.”

Approaching with far more caution, Trevor muttered under his breath about how this was a bad idea, and kept a wary eye on the shadows now starting to emerge. A few elderly people, children that outnumbered them and clung to each other, and a handful of able-bodied men and women that were the last to appear. Trevor immediately took stock, surveyed the fieldー everything was tipped against them. There was no way they could fend off one fiend, let alone an army. 

A sharp shot of adrenaline rushed through him, panic setting tight in his chest. Trevor felt his breathing quicken, and just as he reached toward Syphaー to grab her and drag her kicking and screaming back to the horses if he had toー a hand clamped tight around his forearm. Fingers a vice, almost bruising even through his layers, and he followed the arm up to Alucard. 

No words exchanged, hardly even a gestureー just a slight crinkle of impossibly gold eyes, and the spell was broken when Alucard turned to join Sypha in proving they meant no harm to these suffering villagers. Trevor cursed and went to join them, an uncomfortable weight in his stomach.


End file.
